Ongoing History Daily: Is loud music addictive?

January 14, 2022 Alan Cross 0 Comments

A study by Northeastern University in Boston from about 15 years ago said that loud music can be as addictive as cigarettes, drugs, or booze.

Researchers discovered that if loud music addicts were deprived of their daily dose of blaring stereos, they suffered actual withdrawal symptoms. They got depressed, lethargic, and moody. They’ve dubbed this condition Maladaptive Music Listening (MML for short).

Anyone can be affected, and it has nothing to do with the type of music you like. This addiction can be so strong that those affected are unable to stop listening to loud music, even when the volume was literally deafening. The information in this study has been used to study different types of hearing loss.

The last post featured some weird tales of Kurt Cobain.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38849 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross